The gong is one of the earliest musical instruments used by the ancient Pu and Luoyue people.

In 1978, a Baiyue gong from the early Western Han Dynasty was unearthed from the Luobowan Tomb No. 1 in Guixian County, Guangxi (called Bushan County in the Qin and Han Dynasties). The gong is 33.4 cm in diameter, and the diameter of the gong’s hilum is 22 cm. There is an arch line pattern cast on the edge of the gong. Three equidistant live rings are tied on the arch string, and the inscription “cloth” is engraved on the surface of the gong.
This is the earliest known gong in China. It can be seen that gongs have a history of more than 2,000 years in my country. With the expansion of the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Baiyue area was included in the territory of China, and the gongs gradually spread to the mainland.
"Old Tang Book·Music Records" states in the article "Tongba": "Tongba, also known as copper plate, goes out of Xixu and Nanman.... The big one in Nanman is a few feet round,..." The number of this circle The "bronze plate" of the ruler is the earliest record of gongs appearing in writing. Chen Yang of the Northern Song Dynasty mentioned the appearance of the gong in the Central Plains in the "Book of Music" and said: "The later Wei began to like the sound of the Hu sound after the declaration of Wu. He moved the capital, ... hit the sand gong." After 515 AD, the general Knocking a small gong is called a sand gong. In ancient times, gongs were often used in ceremonies and wars and were once called "gold". Therefore, there are sayings of "ringing the gong to clear the way" and "ringing the gold to withdraw troops". By the Song Dynasty, gongs were used in the folk music form "guban".
In the Yuan Dynasty, it was also the main accompaniment instrument for Zaju. In "Lan Cai and Zaju", there is a sentence: "hold some... gongs, boards and drums...". In the "Yuan Shi·Rite and Music Records", the cloud (the current cloud gong) is included, and its shape and performance method are described. It is not only used in court banquets, but also popular among the people, which fully explains the manufacture and performance of gongs at that time. Playing already has a certain level.

After the Yuan Dynasty, with the development of opera art, it opened up a vast world for the use of gongs. Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, various forms of gongs have been widely used in opera music, dance music and traditional drum music, wind and drum music, gongs and drums.

Gongs play an important role in the accompaniment of Kunqu Opera. According to Li Dou's "Yangzhou Painting Boat Record" in the Qing Dynasty, Yun Gong, Xiao Gong, Tang Gong and Da Gong were used in opera songs and dances at that time.
In 1791, the French composer Gosec began to use the gong in orchestral works.
In the vast urban and rural areas of China, gongs were once used as tools for shoulder-carrying hawkers and monkey jugglers to solicit business along the streets. Since the 20th century, gongs have been widely used by various ethnic groups in folk entertainment, festivals, local opera and folk music, and played by various bands.